Whenever I read this Gospel I am reminded of the wonderful
movie made years ago by Sidney Poitier. In it, he plays a young man, just
recently discharged from the Army. He is a Christian -- a Baptist if my memory
serves. He has learned how to operate heavy equipment in the service, put aside
some money from his Army pay, and is on his way to make his mark on the world.

But then he encounters a small group of German nuns who
are intent on establishing their order in this country. They have a small piece
of property on which they are farming, and they are convinced that God has sent
this man to build them a chapel. The movie is a wonderful study in contrasts:
man-women, black-white, Protestant-Catholic, pragmatist-optimist, and so on.
There is a great scene in which Poitier has a lively discussion with the German
(only) speaking Sister Superior by referring to verses in their respective
bibles: hers, in German, is enormous; his, in English, fits in his pocket. In
the end, of course, they learn something from each other, the chapel gets built,
and the young soldier's likeness is used as a model for a painting of Saint
Benedict the Moor, for whom the chapel is dedicated.

The contrasts in the story are interesting -- more than
just a literary device -- they serve to point up the difference we read about
today in both the epistle and the gospel. They serve to make us consider what
our Lord meant, exactly, by saying that it is not possible to serve both God and
the enticements of the world.

It may help to understand that our Lord is speaking with a
sort of exaggeration that we call "hyperbole." He does this often
enough that we ought to be familiar with it. For example, in another Gospel text
He says, "put ought your right eye if it is an occasion of sin to you"
or "cut off you hand" if it is the problem. Clearly, our Lord presents
such a gruesome example, not because He wants His people to be blind or maimed,
but because He wants them to have some appreciation of just how horrible sin is.
He doesn't mean to say, "blind yourself" or "maim yourself"
-- He means to say "stop sinning!&" -- "stop sinning, because the
consequences of sin are every bit as bad as losing an eye or a hand or a foot;
you can lose your soul!

Similarly, our Lord is not advocating that
Christians do nothing to take care of their material needs. The way He created
us, we must provide for our shelter, and clothing, and food. Our Lord is
clearly not suggesting that we live on worms and berries, or that we put
on no more than what the flowers put on! He is, again, teaching by hyperbole, or
exaggeration.

What, then, does He mean to say? First of all, if we
assume that He is speaking to people who have adequate food, clothing, and
shelter, He is telling us that our further aspirations ought not be directed to
acquiring more of the same, to the point of extravagance. Our aspirations ought
to direct us to God in eternity, rather than to obtaining worldly goods that
will be of no use to us in few short years or decades. How many cars can you
drive? how many suits or dresses can you wear? how much food can you eat? In how
many rooms can you live? Aren't there better things that you can do with what is
left over after you have taken care of necessities? Aren't there better ways to
spend your time and your energies? And might not life be just a little more
comfortable if we put aside the worries over things that are meaningless in
eternity?

Saint Paul seems to be focusing on this last aspect in
today's epistle. "Look," he is saying, "at what happens to those
who are overly concerned with the things of the world." They become
predators, fighting with each other to have the lion's share (or at least more
than the people next door). They wind up doing all sorts of things that have no
long term meaning, are at best only fleetingly pleasurable, and may have
downright harmful, disgusting, or dangerous results. Life ought to be more than
just "dying with the most toys."

Then Saint Paul has us compare such worldly behavior with
the alternative. Those whose sights are on God, whose aspirations are eternal,
can live in this world in relative peace and contentment.

Our Lord doesn't ask it directly in today's parable, but
might also infer that there is some particular merit to be gained by accepting
our lot in life, even if sometimes we do not have as much as we like, even of
the necessities -- or, perhaps if we cheerfully accept the difficulties that
come our way. And surely, we know that He will be pleased if we give of our
substance to those who do not have what is adequate -- maybe even to the point
of depriving ourselves once in a while. "Those who belong to Christ have
crucified their flesh with its passions and desires" -- another example of
hyperbole, perhaps, but a good way of showing us how to unite with Christ by
carrying the small crosses of this life.

There must be people in this world to operate the heavy
equipment and to raise the crops -- just as there must be people to pray. For
most of us, life is necessarily a combination of both. The lesson today is one
of attitude and direction: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His
justice" -- the other things will then come along in due proportion -- a
means, rather than an end -- being an aid to our eternal salvation rather than a
source of condemnation.